


An Audience Makes it Porn

by TwilightKnight17



Series: Persona Kink Meme [10]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Dubious Consent, F/F, F/M, Gangbang, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Light Bondage, M/M, Multi, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Threesome - F/M/M, but gotta tag appropriately, honestly this is more about the Thieves dealing with everything than the sex, pre-polythieves, the Akeshu and Yutaba is pre-relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 16:39:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15538509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightKnight17/pseuds/TwilightKnight17
Summary: Plotting the route to the Treasure had been the easy part. The Thieves hadn't expected to be locked inside the Palace, but now they were stuck in the ruler's depraved game.The rules: complete every challenge to unlock the door to the Treasure.Fail, and be trapped forever.





	1. Barriers and Bad Memories

**Author's Note:**

> So. A fanciful endgame scenario where Goro didn't die and the metaverse didn't vanish, so they're still doing their thing like a year later.
> 
> Original prompt: https://personakinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/993.html?thread=583137#cmt583137
> 
> "Dub-Con Polythieves - Joker is forced to watch: PT tackling the Palace of of a Porno Director who preys on teenagers in real world. Joker, Oracle and Mona are stuck behind a barrier in the entrance hall while rest of the thieves are trapped inside. Only way out is to steal the treasure and one or more of them will have to perform specific sexual acts with each other and/or with Shadows and Cognitions to proceed through each stage. They can still communicate through Oracle but Joker is powerless to help them. Entrance hall is covered in giant screens that display everything and someone has to act as the audience or they'll have to do it all over again. Joker takes responsibility as leader and doesn't avert his eyes so that Mona and Oracle won't have to watch. No romantic relations between PT before this and everyone hates the circumstances. And at least some of were virgins."

It was official. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts _hated_ Jomei Hasegawa.

A disreputable porn director, his Palace had distorted the entirety of Shinjuku into a massive mansion. They’d ventured in after numerous reports of him targeting teenagers, luring them in with the promise of easy money and trapping them into working for him. But the Thieves found the mansion utterly devoid of traps or tricks. It was just a straightforward giant house full of mostly-naked cognitives, which while uncomfortable, weren’t a threat. It had been ridiculously easy to map a route to the Treasure, and they’d sent the calling card and begun the heist.

And then the barrier had gone up.

It had been pure luck that they weren’t all trapped. Futaba had stopped walking, sensing a strange shadow reading, and Akira and Morgana had been the first two to turn back. Before anyone else could reach them, a barrier of some sort of shatterproof clear material had slammed into place, separating the three from the group and leaving everyone else trapped inside the Palace.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to break this,” Makoto said, after they’d tried Haru’s rocket-launcher, Brave Blade, and freidyne. “Which means the only way out is to steal the Treasure and collapse the Palace.”

“What are we supposed to do with our leader, our navigator, and our best healer stuck staying behind, though?” Ann asked.

Akira shook his head. “We pick an interim leader and move on. I have no doubt that the rest of you can get through fine. Oracle, you can still communicate even if they keep going, right?”

Futaba nodded. “The buffs won’t reach without proximity, but I can still help with maps and stuff.”

“Right then. Queen, will you lead?” Akira asked.

Makoto shook her head quickly. “I’m already strategist. I’m not really comfortable giving orders like you do. Crow can be leader.”

“Me?” Goro asked, sounding disbelieving. “Are you sure?”

Akira smiled. “How often do we have to tell you that we trust you?” he chided. Putting a hand against the barrier, he waited until Goro lifted a hand to press on the opposite side, and said, “I know you’ll get them all home. Bring me back a Treasure, okay?” He smirked, and Goro turned pink and turned away.

“Fine. Come on, everyone.” He headed for the central staircase without another word, and the rest of the team exchanged amused looks before following.

Behind the barrier, Futaba summoned a tiny version of Prometheus, about the size of a softball, and plopped herself down on one of the entrance hall sofas. The map of the mansion projected above it, and she waved Akira and Morgana over. “If I do it like this, you guys can see too.”

“Good thinking, Oracle!” Morgana praised, and they watched the tiny dots that indicated their teammates making their way up the main corridor.

But then Akira pointed at the map. “What’s that?”

“Hm?” Futaba leaned in to scrutinize the odd color of the door marked on the map, and made a surprised noise at the same moment as Ryuji’s voice filtered through Prometheus.

“The hell is this? The door’s locked?”

“It’s got five locks on it… Electronic locks, so we can’t go looking for keys,” Makoto’s voice confirmed. “Oracle, can you tell what’s going on?”

“Already trying to hack them,” Futaba muttered, and Akira and Morgana watched in amazement at the glowing screens that flickered to life at her fingertips. Was this what it was like inside of Prometheus all the time? But it was only a few minutes before Futaba made a noise of disappointment. “They’re not connected to anything else in the house. It’s not any sort of ‘real’ lock. There’s a specific thing that’ll open it, and that’s it. You’ll have to look around and see if there’s anything that looks like a trigger.”

At that moment, massive screens cut on around the entrance hall, and Hasegawa’s booming voice filled the mansion from a PA system.

 **“Greetings, Phantom Thieves. I see that you’ve fallen into my trap.”** The voice was unbearably smug, but Akira was distracted by the screens, which were showing his friends standing by the locked door in confusion. **“If you thought this would be easy, that was your mistake. Those locks won’t open unless you play along with my game. Win, and the door unlocks and the barrier comes down. Lose, and you’re trapped here, forever.”**

Ryuji cursed through the link, and Akira leaned forward. “Don’t let him get to you, guys.”

“If he thinks that we will be incapable of overcoming obstacles simply because we have already sent the calling card, he is sadly mistaken,” Goro said, and onscreen Akira could see him motion to the doors on either side of the central hall that led to the different wings. “We’ll go area-by-area. There is clearly some trick to this. It’s just a matter of figuring out what.”

***

They picked one of the doors at random, making their way down the hallway behind it until they reached a large, open room with an X-shaped frame freestanding in the middle. Ann took a step back at the sight of it, and as the rest of the thieves looked around in confusion, Ryuji put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, focus. You’re okay.”

Ann swallowed, but nodded. “Right…” She smiled shakily at him. “Thanks.”

“What is this?” Goro asked, looking around. Other than the strange frame, it was a completely empty room.

As if summoned by the question, the voice of their host filled the mansion again. **“Welcome to the first stage of the game, Phantom Thieves.”**

Akira, Futaba, and Morgana were all subconsciously leaning towards the screens, eyes glued to their friends as part of the wall slid away to reveal a wheel with six colored wedges. Hasegawa’s voice was chipper as he said, **“Let me explain the rules. Each lock is keyed to one of these rooms. Completing the task will open up the associated lock. At least one of you needs to participate in each task, and if you cannot pick, the wheel will pick for you.”**

“That sounds...reasonable,” Makoto began, but Goro shook his head.

“Have you forgotten whose Palace this is?” he asked. “I’m sure these tasks will be something depraved.”

 **“Depraved isn’t the word I would use, prince.”** Hasegawa laughed. **“This room’s task is for one of you to be strapped to that frame, while someone else gets them off.”**

 _“What?”_ Makoto blurted, and half the Thieves turned red almost immediately.

 **“Thirty seconds to choose,”** Hasegawa said gleefully.

Haru went to try the door and found that it had locked behind them. Ryuji and Ann exchanged a panicked look, and Makoto had buried her face in her hands. Only Yusuke seemed unfazed, but it was hard to tell how much of that was a facade.

“Does, um...does anyone volunteer?” Makoto asked weakly after a moment. They all stared at her with matching incredulous expressions, and she shook her head. “I guess not. Uh…”

Goro was examining the walls for any other panels like the one that had revealed the wheel, but was finding nothing. “Damn it, this is ridiculous. What kind of disgusting game…?”

But the wheel on the wall began to spin, signalling the end of their thirty seconds, and all of them froze to watch it as it gradually slowed down and came to a stop on the red wedge.

 **“Ooh. That’s you, cat-girl,”** Hasegawa jeered, and Ann turned pale.

“N-No… No, I’m not doing one of those things again, no, no, no…!”

“Oracle, can’t you do something?!” Ryuji called.

“That door’s got a normal lock. It’s not something I can hack,” Futaba said urgently. “You guys are going to be trapped unless you do what he says.”

“Easy for you to say!” Ryuji yelled. “You spend all your time on the internet, _and_ you have Leblanc bugged. You probably deal with this all the time!”

“Hey!” Futaba objected. “I don’t have Joker’s room bugged!”

Akira and Goro made matching indignant noises, and Akira coughed awkwardly, before leaning forward to speak into Prometheus. “Panther, will you be all right?”

Ann didn’t respond, staring at the frame, and it was only when Ryuji put a hand on her shoulder that she realized she was trembling. She glanced at him, and he offered a weak smile. “Brings back some unpleasant shit, huh?” he said, and she nodded.

“I know Kamoshida’s gone, but...”

Ryuji looked away. “I’ll do this with you, if y’want. The rules are just that someone has to get you off, right? It doesn’t have to be the whole thing.”

Ann took a very deep breath, and nodded hesitantly. Ryuji reached up to help her with the zippers of her outfit, and Makoto herded the others off to the side, turned away.

In the entrance hall, Futaba snatched up Morgana and turned away from the screens. “Nope, nope. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a voyeur.”

Akira, too, looked away, but the voice practically cackled as it blared from the speakers.

**“Oh, no, no, it doesn’t count as porn unless there’s an audience. At least one of you in the entrance there has to watch the proceedings, or they’ll have to start _all over again~_ ”**

“...Crow, when you find this guy--” Akira began, but Goro interrupted him before he could finish.

“I don’t care how much of a sleaze he is. No,” he said, glaring ineffectively somewhere to the right of wherever one of the cameras was hidden. “What are you three going to do?”

Akira sighed. “I’m the leader. I’ll watch. I’m not going to put Oracle and Mona through this.” He turned back around, shifting on the sofa so that he could sit back and keep an eye on the screens. He watched anxiously as Ryuji helped Ann onto the frame, where shackles clicked closed around her wrists and ankles to keep her pinned.

“Hey, breathe,” Ryuji said as he took his gloves off. “It’s just me.”

“Right…” Ann said. “Okay… Go ahead, I guess.”

She wasn’t expecting him to step forward and press his lips to hers, but that was what he did. He pulled away before she could respond, grinning, and reached up to run his hands over her shoulders, smoothing up her arms and then back down to cover her breasts. Ann shivered, and Ryuji grinned. “Sorry, it’s been a while. Tell me if anything’s not right, ‘kay?”

Ann blinked. “Wait, you’re not… You’ve done this before?”

“Not this exactly, but yeah.” Ryuji’s fingers found her nipples, tugging gently. He smiled at the quiet, muffled squeak his actions elicited, and continued to work them as he explained briefly, “First year at Shujin, when I was still star of the track team. I dated some girl about six months? She transferred schools at the end of the year, but we’d broke up by then. And all that bullshit with Kamoshida was happening…”

He leaned in to take a nipple between his teeth, and Ann moaned, tugging at the restraints on her wrists. In the entrance hall, Futaba looked up at Akira from where she’d moved to the floor. “I wasn’t expecting Skull to be the one who knew what he was doing,” she commented. She’d dismissed Prometheus for the moment, but they could still hear the poor-quality audio from the feed on the screens.

“Me neither,” Akira replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. 

Ryuji lavished attention on Ann’s breasts, teasing with lips and tongue before winding his way down her body. “This okay?” he asked, once he’d landed on his knees. “I can just do fingers if y’want…”

“N-No, this is okay…” Ann said, eyes wide, trembling a bit with arousal. Ryuji gave her a thumbs-up, leaning forward and licking into her, holding her hips as she bucked against his mouth. It didn’t take long after that, due to Ann’s lack of experience, and she came with a whimper with his tongue on her clit and two fingers curled inside her. The shackles released as she sagged against them, and Ryuji caught her as she fell forward.

 **“Well done, well done, that was _hot,_ ”** Hasegawa’s voice said gleefully, and Ryuji lifted one hand in a single motion, middle finger raised, before moving to help Ann get her thief gear back on. The voice just laughed, though, and continued, **“One lock has been undone. Four left, Phantom Thieves~”**

When Ann was dressed, the other Thieves came back over, and Futaba re-summoned Prometheus.

“Are you both okay?” Akira asked, and they nodded.

“We’re fine, Leader. It’s no big deal,” Ann said, but there was an edge to her usual cheerful tone.

Makoto bit her lip. “In light of the, uh, challenges that we’re apparently going to have to complete, I feel like it’s important to ask if anyone else has...experience. Other than Skull. And I guess Panther.”

There was dead silence, and then Ryuji put his hand up. “Come on, guys, might as well,” he said, and Ann put a hand up too. After another moment, Haru put a hand up, but was quick to clarify, “Just, um, just touching. N-No mouths or anything. We weren’t even naked.”

“Wow, Noir, did you have a rebel phase before you met us?” Futaba teased, and Morgana covered his mouth with a paw to muffle a snort.

“Something like that,” Haru said sheepishly. “My father was always so strict…”

One more second, and Goro put a hand up as well, looking like it was causing him great pain to do so. “Oracle, if you say one word about Joker and me, I am going to snap every Featherman DVD you own in half.”

Futaba glanced at Akira, who looked uncharacteristically grim, and said quietly, “Message received, Crow.”

“Well, then,” Goro said. “I suppose we should move on and see what the next ‘challenge’ is.” He scowled, heading for the door, and the rest of the Thieves followed.


	2. Role Reversal

Door number two led them through a library and into what looked like a living room. It seemed completely innocent, minus the wheel on the opposite wall that was identical to the one in the prior room, with the six colored wedges. The Thieves bunched together anxiously, and in the entrance hall, Morgana leaned in to speak into Prometheus.

“Do you see anything weird?” he asked, and onscreen, Haru shook her head.

“No, nothing looks out of place except for the wheel. I guess we just have to wait to see what the challenge is?” she asked, looking around, and if summoned by the question the PA system crackled to life.

**“Welcome to round two, Phantom Thieves!”** Hasegawa was already practically laughing as he tried to get the words out. **“This challenge is going to be one for a guy and a girl. Who here knows what pegging is?”**

Futaba made a spluttering noise, and Ann tugged at one pigtail awkwardly. Goro said nothing, still scowling from the last room, and the others just looked confused, so Futaba took it upon herself to say flatly, “Pegging’s when a girl and a guy have anal sex, but the guy’s the one taking it.”

**“Dingdingding, and the prize goes to the tasty-looking little hacker. That’s exactly it.”**

Akira snarled, and Futaba reached over to put a hand on his arm. “Just ignore the jerkface, ‘Kira,” she said. “You can play protective big brother when this fucker’s actually in the room. We’ve gotta focus on the team.”

**“So, are one each of your boys and girls going to step up? Or should we ask the wheel~?”**

Uneasy looks went around the group, and Goro took a step back. “I...would prefer not to, if I can be excused. I will volunteer for a different challenge, but…”

“No, it’s all right. Don’t worry about it,” Haru said. She looked around. “Does anyone else have an issue with this?”

Ryuji shrugged. “I’ll volunteer. I got the easy part last time.”

Hasegawa’s voice was mocking as he said, **“Be careful. Everyone has to have a turn; the door won’t open otherwise even if all five challenges are done. Skull-boy and Cat-girl can’t do it all.”**

“God, do you ever shut up?” Ryuji grumbled, and somewhere in the background the wheel spun to life as their time ran out. Everyone’s eyes followed it, until it came to a stop on the navy-blue wedge and Makoto cringed.

“I… Okay,” she said after a moment. “But what do I, um...use?” 

**“Check the side-table drawer.”**

Makoto went over, finding a bottle of lube and a strap-on tucked inside the drawer. She reluctantly picked them up and walked over to Ryuji, holding the fake cock up in what she hoped was a casual way. “So, are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Ryuji laughed bitterly. “I guess? Not getting that door open any other way. We keep gettin’ challenges where both people don’t have to be naked, though.” He reached for his belt, and Makoto turned red, but didn’t turn away.

Futaba grabbed Morgana and scooted back to the floor beside the couch, and Akira stared at the screen, swallowing hard. He hated this, he really did, because it was so obvious that his friends were uncomfortable as Ryuji stripped from the waist down and Makoto tried to figure out how to put the strap-on on over her clothes.

But afterwards, when both of them were visibly ready, they just stared at each other.

“I have no idea how to do this,” Makoto admitted.

“Uh… This was never something I was into, so I don’t know either.” Ryuji frowned. “I guess just sticking it in is a bad idea?”

“Probably?” Makoto was looking anywhere but at Ryuji. “I mean, we have...lube, I guess?”

“Oh for god's sake.” Goro walked over, having been listening, and stopped at Makoto’s side with his eyes trained on the carpet. “Skull, this will be easier if you’re on your knees. Queen, if you don’t stretch him out first, he’ll end up injured. You’ll have to use your fingers.” A glance up revealed that both of them were staring at him incredulously, and he looked at the floor again, gritting his teeth as he turned away. “Just do it, or we’re not getting out of here.”

Makoto glanced down at the bottle of lube and awkwardly poured some over her fingers as Ryuji climbed onto the couch. In the entrance hall, Futaba chanced a concerned glance up at Akira, who was gripping the couch cushion so tightly it looked like he was going to rip a chunk of it off. “Joker…? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Akira said flatly, obviously not fine, but Futaba didn’t push.

Ryuji hissed with discomfort at the first finger, and Makoto froze. “Um… Does it… Does it hurt?”

“‘s weird as hell, but no, doesn’t hurt. Come on, Crow’s right, we just gotta get through this.”

By the time Makoto reached three, though, Ryuji was clearly biting his lip to contain the storm of cursing that wanted to escape. There was nothing else for it, though, and she lined up the strap-on with trepidation, glancing at Goro, who was still refusing to look even remotely in their direction.

“...just go slow,” was all he said, and Makoto took a deep breath and tried to be careful. Ryuji hissed with pain as it sank deeper, and when it was all the way in Makoto paused. “Are you all right?”

“Not really,” Ryuji gritted out. “That bastard didn’t actually say that anyone had to get off this time, yeah? Because I really don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“No, he didn’t,” Makoto said, and the PA system announced its reactivation with a hiss of static.

**“What’s a nice girl like you doing in a guy like this?”** Hasegawa laughed at his own terrible joke, but then said more sullenly, **“I suppose I didn’t say that. I won’t make that mistake in the future, but I’m not one to change the rules in the middle of the game. You’ve technically won this round. Good show, fingering him, though. I’ve got a _major_ kink for nervous virgins~”**

“Shut the hell up,” Ryuji growled, but there was no response, and he winced as Makoto eased the strap-on out. Fumbling for his pants, he looked over at Goro, who was standing unmoving a few feet away. “Hey, Crow, thanks for trying to help.”

“Anything to get this done with,” Goro said pointedly, and when they were all ready they headed for the door.

In the entrance hall, Futaba scooted back up onto the couch. “That one would’ve been a lot easier if you’d been there, huh, Joker?” she said, clearly attempting to lighten the mood.

But Akira just stared at her. “I didn’t raise my hand. And it would've had to be one of the girls anyway.”

She stopped halfway through summoning Prometheus. “Wait, you’re still…? What?”

Akira shot a brief glance at Morgana, who shook his head. “Leave it alone for now, Oracle. It’s not our place to talk about it.”

Futaba huffed irritatedly, not liking being out of the loop, but obeyed. She called up her persona, checking the map as the team headed back towards the main hallway to choose another door.


	3. Trust

There were two doors left from the main hall, and Futaba zoomed Prometheus’s map in to try to figure out what sort of rooms were left.

“Okay, so the door closer to the entrance leads to some kind of big room. No idea what that could be, maybe a ballroom or something?” She moved the map over, scanning hallways. “The other one branches in two, one way goes to a bedroom, and the other to...some sort of game room, maybe?”

“It’s you guys’ call,” Akira said. “There’s no telling what the other three challenges will be.”

“Leader?” Makoto asked, glancing at Goro.

Goro frowned, his expression flat and resigned. “I suppose if we go to the bedroom, we’ll at least be comfortable for whatever hell he plans to put us through next.”

There was a mumble of reluctant agreement, and the group headed through the door Futaba had indicated. Past the hallway fork, there was an elaborately furnished bedroom, with another wheel on the wall and a door that presumably led to some kind of closet. Yusuke walked over and examined the side tables and lamps, clicking one on to further illuminate the room. “Well, it is in fact more comfortable in here than that first room.”

Makoto scowled, looking around. “Comfort doesn’t mean a whole lot considering what we’re being asked to do.”

**“You don’t even know what this room’s challenge is yet~”**

“Something equally as terrible as the others, I’m sure,” Makoto countered.

**“Depends on your perspective, I suppose,”** Hasegawa commented. **“Your challenge this time is double penetration. And I’m willing to be nice about it! Only one of you has to play if that’s what you want. I’ve got plenty of people willing to fill in and play with the one the wheel chooses. Since I don’t anticipate any of you managing to make a decision this time either. Either way, everyone from your group that’s involved has to get off by the end. I’m being specific this time.”**

All of them were quiet, and then Yusuke said, “This actually works out well.”

“How, exactly?” Ann said, an edge to her voice.

Yusuke looked surprised. “Well, it is a challenge for three people, is it not? We have three people that haven’t had a ‘turn’ yet. If we get this done, that part of the challenges is done, and the remaining people can take on the challenges as they are best suited for them, instead of worrying about who hasn’t taken their turn.” He glanced at Haru and Goro. “If you two would agree, of course.”

Haru looked at Goro, gradually turning red. “I… I guess that’s...okay…”

Goro took a deep breath. “More acceptable than the other challenges,” he said quietly.

“Then it’s settled,” Yusuke said, glancing up at the speaker embedded into the ceiling. “No need to run the wheel.” He set a gentle hand on Haru’s shoulder.

“I don’t...ah, I’m not sure how...this works,” Haru murmured.

Goro shrugged. “Well, there’s three possibilities that fit the challenge,” he said, and Haru flushed, realizing what he was implying.

Makoto herded the others towards the closet door. “We’ll just...go in here. And leave you guys to it. Yeah.” She shoved Ryuji and Ann into the walk-in closet and shut the door.

The three remaining thieves stared at each other awkwardly.

Finally, Goro sat down on the bed with a ‘whumph’ noise, looking just the slightest bit bewildered as he sank into the overly-plush duvet and mattress. But after a moment he looked up at Haru, and asked resignedly, “Would you be more comfortable if none of us undressed all the way, or does it matter?”

“I don’t think it matters,” Haru said, and she walked over to cup his face in her hands. “But Crow, are you all right? You’ve been anxious ever since the first room with the x-frame, and you’re not often troubled like that.”

“It’s noth--” Goro bit his tongue. “No, I promised to stop lying to all of you. It’s not nothing. But I’m dealing with it. There’s no reason to worry.”

Yusuke came over as well, perceptive eyes tracing his expression, picking out the nuances. “This is something that you haven’t told us.”

“I’ve told Joker,” Goro said. “And Mona. But just because Mona was around at the time.”

In the entrance hall, Futaba looked up at Akira and Morgana, who were wearing matching gloomy expressions. She looked from them to the gloomy Crow onscreen, then back, and her eyes widened. “‘Kira, he was in foster care. They didn’t…?!”

Akira wouldn’t meet her eyes.

Futaba bit her lip almost hard enough to draw blood. “...I’m sorry I keep making jokes about you two,” she said, very, very quietly.

“Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know.”

Onscreen, the other thieves had apparently decided to at least start shedding clothes. Everyone’s shoes and Goro and Yusuke’s jackets lay abandoned, and Haru was pulling her shirt over her head, revealing a simple pink bra. She set the shirt aside, flushing almost the same shade. “I, ah…”

Goro scooted back on the bed and beckoned to her. “Come on. We can at least be comfortable.”

Yusuke followed as she climbed onto the bed, and she settled between them, nervousness thrumming through her. But Goro just wrapped an arm around her and brushed his lips against her forehead. “I know you’re scared. But can you trust me, just for this?”

“Of course I trust you,” Haru said bluntly, much to his surprise. “You walk on eggshells around me often, but Crow, it’s been over a year. I have forgiven your part in what happened.”

“It seems as though Panther and Skull are not the only ones that feel the ghosts from that year,” Yusuke observed quietly. “This place is getting to all of us.”

Goro sighed, visibly biting back the feelings that threatened to show on his face. He nudged Haru gently onto her back. “Let us touch you, then. You have the difficult part of this, after all.”

“O-Okay…” She shut her eyes, and the two boys took that as permission to begin carefully exploring her body. Yusuke, with an artist’s fingers, was surprisingly adept at finding sensitive spots, and together they coaxed whimpers and moans from their normally soft-spoken teammate. Akira, watching on the screens, pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them awkwardly. This was almost worse, because they didn’t seem unhappy, just cautious. For the first time, he really felt like he was intruding.

He watched Goro cup Haru’s breasts, kneading almost roughly as Haru whimpered encouragement and Yusuke’s mouth trailed down her stomach. The artist stopped at her navel and worked his way back up, lips and teeth finding her nipples as Goro squeezed her breasts to offer them up. Haru moaned, low and plaintive, and Akira buried his face in his knees, taking a deep breath. The other issue with their lack of visible discomfort was that it was one-hundred percent more arousing to watch people who didn’t look like they would rather be anywhere else. He tried to will his body to stop reacting, only to be startled when a speaker just beside the couch crackled on, separate from the main PA system.

**“Five… Four… Three…”**

Realizing immediately what was going on, Akira looked back up at the screen, eyes wide. Stupid, stupid, he’d almost forgotten. He kept his eyes trained on what was going on, and tried to picture something unpleasant to counteract it. Like spilling boiling coffee on himself. That was sure to distract him from the fact that Haru was now naked, and the other two were pretty close.

Haru whimpered as Yusuke’s fingers curled gently inside her, hips bucking with the feeling. “O-Oh…” She had a hand curled loosely around Goro’s cock, stroking very softly through his boxers, and Yusuke was pressed against her.

“How are we going to do this?” Yusuke asked, stilling his fingers so that Haru could focus. “We established that there are several possibilities, but not which one would be preferable.”

Goro looked away. “Ah… Um…”

“Er…” Haru bit her lip. “I would prefer...not to do...um...anal…” Her voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke, until she was practically whispering.

Goro nodded, still not looking at either of them. “I second that preference.”

Yusuke crooked his fingers, and Haru squeaked again. “Do you have a preference for which of us takes the lead, then?” he asked.

“ _How_ are you able to just _ask_ things like that?!” Goro yelped, his voice pitching up as Haru squeezed his cock.

Somehow, she was able to lean up on her elbows and look both of them over, before finally saying surprisingly firmly, “Fox. I want Fox to do it. And I’ll suck off Crow.” She waited for them to say something, but they were both just staring at her, and she frowned. “You asked. That’s what I want. Because I feel like Crow would be more comfortable if he didn’t have to lead, and we have to get this done.”

“You’re not...wrong,” Goro said reluctantly, and Yusuke nodded.

“All right, then. Noir, I believe this would be easiest if you were on your knees.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” She sat up, taking a minute to position herself on all fours between Goro’s legs. Curling her fingers around the elastic of his boxers, she looked up at him. “Is this okay?” When he nodded, she tugged the fabric down gently, just enough to free his cock, and curled her fingers around it. Tentatively, she licked at the tip, and he shuddered. “All right, Fox… Just...be gentle.”

As she felt the unfamiliar pressure of Yusuke’s cock beginning to slip inside of her, she wrapped her lips around Goro, sucking softly. Yusuke went slowly, attentive to her reactions, and as he settled completely inside he brushed a spot that made her moan around the shaft in her mouth, drawing an equally loud moan from Goro.

She did manage to register that they had technically completed one part of the challenge. All that was left was for all of them to come, and things would be over. As Yusuke began to thrust, she let Goro’s cock slip from her mouth, choosing to focus on using her tongue so she wouldn’t choke. He didn’t seem to mind, biting down on one hand to muffle his voice.

In the end, Goro came first, shivering as she tongued at the sensitive spot on the underside of the head. He laid limply for a second, then forced himself to sit up, reaching to support her as her arms started to give out as Yusuke’s thrusts grew more forceful. One of the artist’s hands crept around her hip, fingers finding her clit, and she cried out as the touch was enough to push her over the edge. Yusuke’s hips stuttered as she tightened around him, and he came as well, hunching over with a groan.

Yusuke pulled away, leaving Haru to lie limply on top of Goro, who just absentmindedly stroked her hair as they all caught their breath. Yusuke laid a hand on her back, taking a deep breath and asking, “Are you both all right?”

“I’m okay,” Goro confirmed quietly, and Haru nodded against his chest.

“That wasn’t as bad as I thought… I’m...glad it was something I did with friends,” she said, leaning into their hands.

Goro looked over at Yusuke, who appeared to be deep in thought. “Is something wrong, Fox?”

“No, no, nothing is wrong,” Yusuke said thoughtfully. “I believe there is something I need to do when we get out of here, is all.”

“...me too, I think.”

Eventually they managed to get dressed, and Goro went over to knock on the closet to let the others know they could come out. Everyone was very quiet, and as they filed out of the room onscreen, Futaba looked up at Akira.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and Akira nodded, though he didn’t unwrap his arms from his knees.

“I’ll be fine. Just give me a few minutes,” he said sheepishly, and she gave him a thumbs up.

“Sure.”


	4. Audience Participation

The Thieves were growing more and more reluctant to enter new rooms as the palace went on, and they milled around for a long time outside of the door that Futaba had dubbed a ‘game room’ before finally entering.

The first thing they noticed was that there were only three wedges on the wheel on the wall: navy blue, red, and lavender. It was all the girls’ colors, and they were all immediately on-edge, even if the foosball table in the corner made the room a little less threatening.

**“Ready for your next cha--”**

“What do we have to do?” Makoto said dully, cutting Hasegawa off before he could manage any more of his usual terrible greetings.

They could practically hear him pouting over the intercom, but his voice was still obnoxiously perky. **“As you can probably tell, this is a challenge for a girl. But we’re also going to have some audience participation~”**

Futaba, Akira, and Morgana jumped as a cubby opened in the wall, revealing a remote with a large dial. Tentatively, Akira picked it up, and the voice on the intercom laughed.

**“Now, I’m sure you kids have never used one of these before, since they’re _expensive_. But you might know what it is. That thing on the table there. Anyone here heard of a sybian?”**

Futaba made a face. “Wow, those _are_ expensive. I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s all cognition.” She shrugged at Akira. “It’s a thing you ride, controlled by a remote. That remote, I guess.”

**“Your hacker’s a smart little thing, isn’t she?”** Hasegawa commented. **“A shame she’s not on the other side of the wall.”** Oblivious to the furious, animalistic sound of rage Akira made, he continued, **“This challenge is a fun one. Multiple orgasms! One of you is going to take a ride and come at least three times to open the next door. And our lucky audience is going to have control of the sybian.”**

Akira looked down at the remote and scowled. “Fine. I have to watch anyway.”

“Does anyone want to…?” Haru said softly. No one answered, and in the silence, the wheel began to spin. All of them watched solemnly until it came to rest on Makoto’s navy wedge, and she looked awkwardly at the sybian and then around, as if she could look at the group in the entrance hall.

Futaba scooted to sit facing Akira, her back to the screens, so that she could hold Prometheus between them. Akira leaned forward, asking only, “Queen, will you be okay?”

“I have to be, don’t I?” Makoto said shortly. As the others turned away, she undid her outfit, forced to strip completely because it was all one piece. The sybian was examined with some trepidation, but their _host_ had “kindly” left a bottle a lube, so she slicked the dildo attachment and settled gingerly onto it, wincing just a little at the stretch.

Akira glanced away from the screen just for a moment to make sure he had the dial in hand, then looked back up and took a deep breath. “Let me know when you’re ready, Queen.”

Makoto made a face. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“All right.” Akira carefully turned the dial, just a touch, and onscreen Makoto shivered as the machine began to vibrate. A slight twist, just a little more, earned a bitten-off moan, and Akira swallowed hard. “Okay?”

“Y-Yeah…” Makoto said, her voice trembling slightly.

Akira worked the remote by degrees, always checking in to make sure it wasn’t too much, as Makoto practically dissolved into a whimpering, moaning mess atop the vibrating machine. But despite their best efforts, she couldn’t seem to reach that peak, and Akira didn’t know what more he could do other than continuing the vary the speed of the vibrations.

Their salvation came from Haru, though. While the others stayed turned away, Haru came over and settled behind Makoto on the sybian, leaning in to kiss the nape of her neck.

“Wha--?” Makoto whimpered, and Haru smiled.

“We just have to get through this, right, Mako-chan?” She reached up to cup Makoto’s breasts, tentative at first, but growing bolder as Makoto moaned. Thumbing over her nipples, she kissed her neck again before reaching down with one hand to part her folds and further expose her clit to the vibrations. “Lean forward a little…”

Makoto obeyed, an even louder moan tearing from her as the new position sent pleasure shooting through her like lightning in her veins. Her hips started to rock involuntarily, and her voice got higher and higher as she finally reached climax.

Haru rode it out with her, murmuring encouragement in an increasingly shaky voice, and Akira cut down the machine, knowing she’d be too sensitive for the speed it was running at. Haru nodded, saying quickly, “Wait a few moments, then cut it back up, Joker.”

Akira did his best, watching them attentively. He was marginally grateful that he was having to focus so intently on their reactions, because it was killing his own involuntary arousal pretty effectively. He adjusted the dial as best he could, and it seemed to work, because Makoto was soon brought to a second climax, and then a third in short order. After the third, Akira cut the machine down slowly, letting her start to come down and catch her breath. Haru supported her as she sagged backwards weakly, brushing her bangs back from her forehead. “You’re okay, Queen. You’re okay…”

Eventually Makoto managed to get to her feet on shaking legs and put her outfit back on. Haru stayed with her, making sure she wasn’t going to fall over, and Akira chucked Hasegawa’s remote across the entrance hall.

**“Hey, those remotes aren’t cheap,”** Hasegawa’s voice objected, but he didn’t seem too bothered. **“Nice job on the challenge! Our French maiden here’s the real MVP, stepping in like that. One challenge left, Phantom Thieves, and it’s a doozy. Talk to you soon~!”**

The intercom clicked off, and no one spoke for a long moment. Finally, Ann said weakly, “Can we just...go back to the bedroom? Just for a little while?”

“Rest would probably do us all good,” Yusuke agreed quietly. “I don’t believe any of us are in any shape to face whatever the final challenge is right this moment.”

“Leader?” Ryuji prodded, looking at Goro, who nodded.

“I see no reason not to.” He glanced around. “Joker, will you three be okay if we rest for a while?”

Akira looked at Futaba and Morgana, who bobbed their heads in the affirmative, and then confirmed, “That’s fine, Crow. You guys’ safety is the top priority.”

“We’ll be fine after a short break,” Goro assured him, and the Thieves trapped inside the mansion dragged themselves back to the bedroom, collapsing on the bed and the plush carpet to just rest and process what had happened so far.

In the entrance hall, Akira let himself fall back on the sofa, lost in thought, until he felt both Futaba and Morgana crawl up beside him. Futaba settled against his side, burrowing into his shoulder, and Morgana stretched out on his stomach.

“They’ll be okay, right?” Futaba asked, very quietly.

“I’m sure they will. They’re the strongest people I know.” Akira wrapped an arm around each of them. “For now, let’s follow their lead.

“Rest.”


	5. As a Team

The last room was the one that Futaba had described as ‘ballroom-sized’, and it turned out to be completely empty except for futons scattered haphazardly across the floor. The Thieves stopped in the doorway, and Akira, from the entrance hall, said slowly, “I don’t like this…”

Murmured echoes of agreement came from his team, and as they looked around, Yusuke said tentatively, “Where is the wheel?”

**“You’re not going to need the wheel this time.”** A cruel edge had crept into Hasegawa’s voice, and all of them looked around anxiously.

“...what does that mean?” Makoto asked, her hands involuntarily curling into fists.

Other doors along the edges of the room opened and cognitions began filing in. They were blank, generic-looking people, but there were a lot of them, and eventually a small crowd had formed at the other end of the room from the Phantom Thieves, leaving them feeling even more overwhelmed than before.

**“I’m assuming you kids know what a gangbang is,”** Hasegawa laughed. **“Last game, Phantom Thieves. All or nothing. No one gets to sit out. You’ll go until all of my friends here are satisfied, or you can decline and be trapped in this Palace until you wither away. So, what will it be?”**

The ballroom went dead silent. No one could figure out what to say; they all just stared at the crowd of cognitives in horror. This had been a trick, a filthy trick. The rule about all of them having to participate was bullshit if _this_ was the last challenge all along. He’d just meant to cause them all even more anxiety.

But what choice did they have? It was this, or stay trapped in the metaverse. And if shadows didn’t kill them, they could end up here indefinitely, with no way out.

“So we’re just supposed to let them do whatever they want to us?” Ann demanded, a tinge of hysteria in her tone. “That’s bullshit! We’d lose either way! We get trapped if we refuse, but they could just kill us if we agree!”

There was no response at first, and then the PA crackled to life and Hasegawa actually sounded annoyed. **“Look, Cat-Girl. I might have a thing for pretty teenagers and nervous virgins, but I’ve got some standards. Killing you defeats the point of giving you a choice. It’d be against the spirit of the game. I want a show, plain and simple, and they might not be gentle with you, but they’re not gonna maim you, either. Got it? There’s nothing but sore hips and bruises in your future if you go through with this.”**

None of them looked convinced.

“We don’t have any reason to trust this guy,” Ryuji huffed.

But Futaba spoke up then. “He might be telling the truth,” she said, and there was a collective confused sound from everyone, including Akira and Morgana. Their navigator pouted and huffed, “I did my research! We’re not after him because he’s having people beaten half to death or killed. He’s a sleaze, a greedy bastard that doesn’t pay his people enough, he lures in underage teenagers, and he’s an emotionally manipulative asshole that thinks he runs Shinjuku, but I didn’t find a single report of anybody getting physically injured beyond minor bumps or bruises. All the damage he causes is mental and financial. Not that that makes things any better, but I really don’t think you’re gonna die.” Then, quieter, “Please don’t die.”

“It has to be unanimous,” Makoto said, and one-by-one the imprisoned Thieves nodded their assent.

**“Excellent! Have fun~ And just a word of advice: you might want to take a second to strip, because there’s no guarantees your clothes will be intact otherwise~”**

Akira’s hands curled into fists as he watched his teammates reluctantly undress, folding their thief gear and setting it aside before facing down the crowd.

It was like a wave. One moment, no one moved, and then in the next they were surrounded, eager hands reaching for bare skin, lips scattering sloppy kisses on what they could reach. But Hasegawa hadn’t lied. There were a few rough touches, but no one was brutal. They all ended up on futons, surrounded by a gaggle of cognitives all clamoring to get their hands on the famous Phantom Thieves.

It was like watching a disaster. He felt more and more ill as he watched his friends be taken advantage of. A giggling circle of girls had forced Yusuke and Ryuji to make out as their cocks were groped. Makoto was on her hands and knees, gripping the edge of the futon with white-knuckled fingers as she was thrust into from behind. Haru was wailing as multiple cognitives crowded her at once, their mouths working between her legs and sucking at her nipples, leaving her helpless to the sensations.

But the worst to have to see was Goro, who was gripping Ann’s hand so tightly as they were both fucked. He looked like he wanted to scream and was forcing himself not to, and with what Akira knew of his past it was understandable. That didn’t make it any easier to watch, though, and finally Akira couldn’t take it anymore and had to look away.

He knew he only had seconds. The speaker was blaring the countdown right beside his ear, but it was like he had frozen. He couldn’t bear to look back up at the screens, he was going to ruin everything, everything they had been through would have been for nothing… But then the countdown stopped, and Akira tentatively glanced up.

Futaba was standing beside the couch, Morgana wrapped in her arms, and both of them were staring right at the screens with matching determined expressions. Akira’s mouth fell open, but before he could say anything, Futaba said furiously, “You’ve been doing this by yourself all this time. We can help, too.”

Words couldn’t describe how grateful he was, and he ducked his head again, trying to block out the cries coming through the screens. He’d wanted to spare them from having to deal with this, but in the end, it took all of them to get through, just as Hasegawa had intended, which just made Akira angry.

He followed his own rules, though. When the cognitives were satisfied and the Thieves were finally fucked out, it took them a while to make it out of the ballroom, but the door to the Treasure had unlocked and there were no more obstacles. Once the Treasure was safely in their grasp, the barrier came down, and Akira, Futaba, and Morgana waited eagerly for them to reappear.

To everyone’s surprise, as soon as the group entered the entrance hall, Yusuke crossed the gap in a few strides and leaned down to press a kiss to Futaba’s mouth. When he pulled back, Futaba was turning the color of Joker’s gloves, and he said simply, “I believe I waited too long to do that.”

Akira wanted to scold him for being so abrupt, but he was distracted as Goro walked up to him and leaned his head on his shoulder. So instead he just reached for Goro’s hand as the Palace began to rumble, and said tiredly, “Let’s go home.”

***

Hours later, Akira found himself cleaning the coffeepots with an exasperated smile. After two somas and a nap, his friends had decided that the best way to deal with being put in a situation where they were required to have sex...was to have more sex. An orgy, to be exact, in his attic. Thank goodness he owned two pairs of sheets, but he might have to finally throw away that old couch.

The exceptions were Morgana, who was asleep on the TV shelf, and Futaba and Yusuke, who were asleep leaned together in one of the booths. They’d had a lot to talk about, mostly the crush that Yusuke had apparently had on Futaba for a long time, and Akira had made them coffee and left them alone...and only eavesdropped a little.

The noise from upstairs had finally quieted down, and Akira’s eyes widened a little as Goro wandered downstairs wearing just his unbuttoned shirt and a pair of Akira’s sweatpants.

“I was hoping to get a glass of water,” he said, almost shyly, and Akira grabbed it for him, fully expecting him to take his usual seat at the counter. But when he returned from the kitchen, Goro had wandered behind the counter and was examining the jars of coffee beans.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Today had to have been rough…”

“It put several things in perspective,” Goro admitted, accepting the water and taking a long drink. “But it was very rough. Our friends helped, though.” He set the glass on the counter and stepped into Akira’s personal space. “Yusuke is not the only one who realized something he should have done long ago.”

Akira’s breath caught. “He’s not?”

“No.” Goro leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Our friends already think that we are...together. So, perhaps we could try to prove them right?”

“Oh?” Akira asked, but he relaxed, looping his arms around Goro’s waist. “What if I’d rather sleep with Ann?”

“Ann can join in,” Goro replied easily. He nuzzled Akira’s jaw gently. “Ryuji, too. Perhaps Haru? Are you so oblivious as to not realize how we all look at you? We had a very brief commiseration upstairs about how selfishly regretful we were that you hadn’t been stuck in there with us.”

Akira nuzzled back. “Hm. I should have all of you take care of me, then, since you’ve already had each other.”

“You say that like we wouldn’t happily oblige.” Goro looped his arms around Akira’s neck, and Akira’s slid down to his hips.

“Why are you wearing my sweatpants?”

“They’re comfortable.”

“You shouldn’t steal other people’s clothes.”

“Come upstairs and make me take them off, then.”

Akira grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him towards the stairs, barely careful enough to avoid waking the sleeping Thieves in the cafe. This wasn’t what he had expected from this Palace, but it had changed their dynamic entirely, and he couldn’t say he was unhappy with the change.

And from the smiles that greeted him when he finally entered the attic, it was pretty obvious the others weren’t either.


End file.
